Monkeypox Cases Rise To 40

Associated Press ^ | 06-10-03

[Brian S]

CHICAGO - Health officials investigating an outbreak of monkeypox that apparently spread from pet prairie dogs to people in three Midwestern states said Monday the number of possible cases has risen to at least 40.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported four confirmed human cases Monday of monkeypox, a smallpox-related virus that has never before appeared in the Western Hemisphere. Seven people have been hospitalized; no one has died.

Steve Ostroff, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases, said he expects the numbers to rise as human and animal samples are tested.

But Ostroff said that only people who had direct contact with infected prairie dogs, or in one case a rabbit, have come down with the illness.

Monkeypox in humans is not usually fatal but causes rashes, fevers and chills. Doctors initially feared they might be facing smallpox, which causes similar symptoms.

"For the average citizen, I would not necessarily be concerned at this point of being exposed to monkeypox," he said.

State health officials have reported 19 suspected cases in Wisconsin, 13 in Indiana and four in Illinois. Four cases have been confirmed in Wisconsin and Illinois.

There have been no instances in this outbreak of the virus being spread from person to person, though that has happened in Africa in the past.

Investigators said the prairie dogs were probably infected with the virus by a Gambian giant rat, which is native to Africa, at a Chicago-area pet distributor.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, along with state and federal health officials, is trying to track down 115 customers - both individuals and pet stores - that bought exotic animals from Phil’s Pocket Pets since April 15.

The distributor, Phillip Moberley, said Monday that he voluntarily quarantined his home-based business and put to death 70 prairie dogs. A 24-year-old employee of Moberley’s has Illinois’ only confirmed case of monkeypox.

The outbreak is the latest in a long history of serious infections moving from animals to people. SARS is thought to have spread from wild civet cats to people in China. Other examples include West Nile virus, which spread from birds, and AIDS, which moved from chimpanzees.

Two patients at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee were reported in satisfactory condition Sunday. The two were isolated, and doctors treating them wore caps, gowns and masks. Other suspected victims were treated and released.

The human mortality rate from monkeypox in Africa has ranged from 1 percent to 10 percent, but the virus may be less lethal in the United States because people are typically better nourished and medical technology is far more advanced.

Ostroff said the CDC is studying whether to use the smallpox vaccine, which has been effective on monkeypox, to combat the U.S. outbreak.

Health officials are trying to contain the virus by preventing more animals from becoming infected.

Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture warned people not to release their pet prairie dogs into the wild. The agency also told state humane societies to isolate any prairie dogs people bring in.

Both Wisconsin and Illinois have banned the sale, importation and display of prairie dogs. The Illinois ban also covers Gambian rats.

The popularity of prairie dogs as pets has grown in recent years. Last year 10,000 prairie dogs were shipped out of Texas to become pets, said David Crawford, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Animal Defense.

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On the Net:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030607.htm

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture: http://datcp.state.wi.us/index.jsp

[iceskater]

Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture warned people not to release their pet prairie dogs into the wild. The agency also told state humane societies to isolate any prairie dogs people bring in.

I hope this warning isn't too late. It wouldn't take much for the monkeypox to find it's way into local populations of rodents and other animal life. THAT consequence has some implications for monkeypox becoming very prevalent in the US.

[NYFriend]

Well, I'm just going to throw this out for comment. Would this really be so terrible? Monkeypoxy kills 10% of the Congalese children who get it, and abot 1% of the Congalese adults who get it. I've read, and I don't know, that there is some thought that the fatality rate will be MUCH lower in the U.S. because we have medicine (seems the villages in the Congo don't have any type of medical care), we are better fed, and generally healthier. I've also read that Monkeypox exposes will give immunity to Smallpox. In a generaltion or two, we could end up with with a population that is sufficiently immune to the spread of Smallpox. I'm just throwing this out. I'm also assuming that in the U.S. there the death rate from Monkeypox will be about the same as Chickenpox (almost none).

[ClearCase_guy]

Since we're throwing out ideas, I'll fling this:

In the 1300's, Bubonic Plague wiped out a third of the European population. It was spread by fleas, carried by rats. The disease burned itself out, in part, because hygiene improved and rats were no longer constant human companions.

Bubonic plague exists in the US today. Specifically, in prairie dog populations. Once in a while a human will get the disease, and is treated. Bubonic Plague does not kill millions of Americans -- but not because we have marvelous medicines. It's because we don't hang out with prairie dogs and rats.

Monkeypox is just something the Media is using to scare people and sell their product.

[iceskater]

You could be right. Our medical system (despite what the democrats say) is the best in the world. Most Americans have access to medical care - even if it starts in the emergency room in some hospital. So, from that perspective, it may not "matter" so much that Monkeypox is now part of our landscape. However, as one Infectious Disease specialist that I work with mentioned, if Monkeypox becomes relatively common and then a smallpox attack is launched, there would be some difficulty for a clinician to determine early on, which pox is present. I would hope by then that some kind of test would be developed that would make it easy to tell quickly and accurately which pox virus is present.

It's also unknown what kind of genetic changes might happen in the monkeypox virus as it jumps from various animal hosts to humans. To me, that's kind of a wild card.

BTW, I don't think Chicken Pox is the same virus family as Monkey Pox and smallpox. I might be wrong on that but I think Chicken pox is in the herpes family and monkeypox and smallpox are in a different family. I am not a clinician so maybe someone else can confirm whether I've got that right or not.

[finnman69]

Monkey pox is nasty

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/images/Large/71720a.jpg

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/images/Large/743eme0885-13.jpg


http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/monkeypox/factsheet.htm
Monkeypox Home

FACT SHEET
Basic Information About Monkeypox
June 9, 2003, 10:00 PM ET

Download PDF version formatted for print (137 KB/1 page)

Monkeypox: An Emerging Infectious Disease in North America

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is found mostly in the rainforest countries of central and west Africa. The disease is called “monkeypox” because it was discovered in laboratory monkeys in 1958. Studies of animals in Africa later found serologic evidence of infection in ground squirrels, which are thought to have an important role as a natural host for the disease. Laboratory studies showed that monkeypox infection also can occur in rats, mice, and rabbits.

In 1970, monkeypox was identified as the cause of a smallpox-like illness in humans in remote African locations. In early June 2003, monkeypox was reported among several residents in the United States who became ill after having contact with sick prairie dogs. This is the first evidence of community-acquired monkeypox virus infection in the United States.

Cause of Monkeypox

The disease is caused by Monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus group of viruses. Other viruses in this group that can cause infection in humans include variola (smallpox), vaccinia (used in smallpox vaccine), and cowpox viruses.

Signs and Symptoms

In humans, the clinical features of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox, except that swelling of lymph nodes is associated with monkeypox. About 12 days after exposure, the illness begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, a general feeling of discomfort, and exhaustion. Within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after onset of fever, the patient develops a papular rash (i.e., raised bumps), often first on the face but sometimes initially on other parts of the body. The lesions usually develop through several stages before crusting and falling off. The illness typically lasts for 2 to 4 weeks. In Africa, monkeypox is fatal in as many as 10% of people who get the disease; the case fatality ratio for smallpox was about 30% before the disease was eradicated.

Spread of Monkeypox in Humans

People can get monkeypox from an infected animal through a bite or direct contact with the infected animal’s blood, body fluids, or lesions. The disease also can be spread from person to person, but it is much less infectious than smallpox. The virus is thought to be transmitted by large respiratory droplets during direct and prolonged face-to-face contact. In addition, monkeypox can be spread by direct contact with body fluids of an infected person or with virus-contaminated objects, such as bedding or clothing.

Treatment and Prevention

There is no specific treatment for monkeypox. Smallpox vaccine has been reported to reduce the risk of monkeypox among previously vaccinated persons in Africa. The potential role of smallpox vaccine in persons who have been exposed to monkeypox is being assessed. Antiviral drugs, such as cidofovir, are being evaluated for the treatment of monkeypox.

[iceskater]

Monkeypox is just something the Media is using to scare people and sell their product.

I guess the media always needs to have something to hype about. Since the war is over, the economy is improving, Martha has been indicted, and the Laci Peterson murder trial hasn't started yet what else is there for them to talk about?

On a somewhat more serious note, the fact that this disease has never been found in this hemisphere until the past week, does give me some pause. If nothing else, how quickly things can spread. What if the giant Gambian rat turned out to be the vector for Ebola? How quickly would that spread and that is a much more lethal disease than monkeypox? Not to mention that yesterday, the number of cases that I heard was something like 30 and now today it's jumped to 40. That gives me a little pause also. Not that I'm freaking out about it. I don't keep giant Gambian rats,prairie dogs or other exotic animals as pets.

[Tijeras_Slim]

This years first case of plague reported in Torrance Co. New Mexico (about 10 miles from me).

Why people would have P-dogs as pets is beyond me, why people are surprised that rodents carry diseases is REALLY beyond me.

[iceskater]

Why people would have P-dogs as pets is beyond me, why people are surprised that rodents carry diseases is REALLY beyond me.

I, too, am mystified that people actually go out and spend good money on rodents and call them pets. And they bite, their teeth are made for that. Sheesh.

[NYFriend]

I think your right about Chicken Pox being a herpes virus and not related to Smallpox (otherwise Chickpox would protect against Smallpox. I threw that out as an example of a virus that is generally an annoyance, but could be serious in a few cases.

[FairOpinion]

It seems like most articles ignore this little detail, that in unvaccinated population, which we are now, the mortality is 10%, NOT 1%. The only reason mortality was lower in earlier outbreaks, because people were still being vaccinated against smallpox at the time.

"A study of 338 cases from the 1980s in Congo found a fatality rate of 9.8 percent for people who hadn't received the smallpox vaccine."

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0603/10monkeypox.html

I don't want to start sounding like a doomsday predictor, but if monkeypox takes hold in the US, at 10% mortality a lot of people could die. I am glad that so far of the 40 infected, nobody died, but they said there is no cure, there is nothing they can give to help, you either get well or you don't and you get well, when you get well.

I think it is really time for the government to allow at least voluntary smallpox vaccines, before things get out of hand.

[iceskater]

I had a feeling you meant it as an example. But I thought it would be good to clarify in case there are lurkers who might go away with an incorrect impression.

[kaktuskid]

P-dogs are for target practice...not for pets.

[y2k_free_radical]

Terrorists now infecting our pets-how low.

[aristeides]

Ping.

[aristeides]

HHS Secretary Thompson: Officials considering quarantines of imported animals. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[aristeides]

Wisconsin Health Worker May Have Monkeypox . More details on the case of human-human transmission.

[aristeides]

Scientists Find Missing AIDS Link (AIDS Precursors Found in Monkeys).